Abstract: To ensure the best maternal newborn health outcomes, critical thinking in nurses is an important goal. However, few studies in nursing have examined the role of the important individual difference factors topic knowledge, individual interest, and general relational reasoning strategies in predicting critical thinking. Most previous studies have used domain-general, standardized measures, with inconsistent results. Moreover, few studies have investigated critical thinking across multiple levels of experience. The major purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which topic knowledge, individual interest, and relational reasoning predict critical thinking in maternity nurses.
For this study, 182 maternity nurses were recruited from national nursing listservs explicitly chosen to capture multiple levels of experience from prelicensure to very experienced nurses. The three independent measures included a domain-specific Topic Knowledge Assessment, consisting of 24 short-answer questions, a Professed and Engaged Interest Measure, with 20 questions indicating level of interest and engagement in maternity nursing topics and activities, and the Test of Relational Reasoning, a visuospatial selected response measure with 32 items organized in scales corresponding to four forms of relational reasoning: analogy, anomaly, antithesis, and antinomy. The dependent measure was the Critical Thinking Task in Maternity Nursing, composed of a clinical case study providing cues with follow-up questions relating to nursing care.
Key findings included a significant correlation between topic knowledge and individual interest at the prelicensure level. Further, the three individual difference factors explained a significant proportion of variance in critical thinking with a large effect size, with topic knowledge identified as the strongest predictor. Notably, individual interest and relational reasoning, which are not strongly emphasized in nursing education, were identified as significant predictors of critical thinking. The findings suggest that these individual difference factors should be included in future studies of critical thinking in nursing. Implications are discussed.

Abstract: Background: A common practice in public health research is to rely on self-reported measures to collect data. However, sensitive questions, particularly those that are attached to socially desirable behaviors may lead to measurement error and result in invalid outcomes. The objective of this study was to examine information bias arising from self-reported engagement in sexual intercourse and its association with syphilitic infections among a vulnerable population of female sex workers (FSW) in China.
Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 1245 middle-aged FSWs. Respondents were asked to self-report whether they had sexual intercourse in the past 24 and 48 hours. The prostate specific antigen test (PSA) is detectable in vaginal fluids up to 48 hours after unprotected sex. FSWs were considered discordant if they indicated no sexual intercourse in the past 48 hours on the survey and had a positive PSA test. Incident syphilitic infection was determined by sero-positivity to both the TRUST and TPPA tests. Prevalent syphilitic infection was measured by the TPPA test. Logistic regression was used to test the associations between discordance and syphilis.
Results: 320 FSWs self-reported no engagement in sexual intercourse in the past 48 hours. Among those who indicated no sex on the questionnaire, approximately 75% of respondents (213/283) were discordant (e.g., had a positive PSA test). Six percent (13/203) and 35.8% (15/52) of discordant FSWs tested positive for incident and prevalent syphilis, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, discordant FSWs had 3.8 times the odds of incident syphilis and 2.6 times the odds of prevalent syphilis, compared to concordant FSWs.
Conclusions: FSWs who had incident or prevalent syphilis were more likely to be discordant compared to those who were concordant. Self-reporting sensitive questions on surveys, such as sexual intercourse, may not be a valid tool to assess sexual behavior.

Abstract: Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay, is one of the most prevalent, yet preventable, chronic diseases in the United States and worldwide, and susceptibility to this disease remains a concern throughout the lifetime. Data from the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reveals that 21 percent of children ages 6 to 11 have had dental caries in their permanent (adult) teeth, which includes teeth that were restored as well as teeth where dental caries was not treated. By ages 12-19, this number has risen to reflect that 59 percent of adolescents have had dental caries in their permanent teeth. Sealants are an evidence-based preventive measure against dental caries and consist of a thin, plastic resinous coating that is bonded to the occlusal (chewing) tooth surface in order to seal out caries-causing bacteria from pits and fissures of the tooth surface. Although recommendations for sealing teeth exist, much is unknown about the distribution of sealants among children and adolescents. Using 2011-2012 NHANES data, this study seeks to examine which factors are associated with sealant placement in children (ages 6-11) and adolescents (12-18) and to determine if risk status for developing dental caries is associated with sealant prevalence. Factors to be explored include variables such as family socioeconomic status, type of insurance, race/ethnicity, dental visit history, and dental caries history. A multiple logistic regression model will be used to examine the associations between the presence of sealants on permanent teeth and predictors. The effect of age group will be tested as a moderator. In order to test for an association between caries risk status of children and presence of sealants, a logistic regression of AAPD-identified high-risk variables will be conducted. With the knowledge gained from this study, and that of dental care utilization and services delivery, long term objectives include development of strategies to increase rates of sealant application amongst those children and adolescents at risk for developing caries, in alignment with Healthy People 2020 goals.

Abstract: According to the World Health Organization, Interprofessional Education is: “When students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (WHO, 2010).
Growing evidence supports the implementation of team-based care delivery for the improvement of health outcomes and relationships with the community. The goal of IPE is to prepare all students aiming at health professions for purposeful collaboration, with a common objective of building a safer and more effective patient/client and community-oriented national health care system. Interprofessional teamwork thus requires well-designed preparation and training of future health care practitioners, including public health undergraduates.
During this internship, we learned that Public health professionals play a crucial role in getting individuals from the pre-release center, mental health crisis center and Dennis Avenue Health Center access to educational programs and health management counseling. Providing these individuals with access to these services will ensure the well-being of the community.
Training for collaborative practice is essential for minimizing the gap between how healthcare is currently delivered and actual practice needs. The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) in 2011 released a draft of undergraduate learning outcomes relevant to all two- and – four-year institutions. The sequel pertinent to inter-professional education states: “Engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches and teamwork for improving population health” (ASPPH, 2011). This interdisciplinary internship should result in improved teamwork and improved population health through enhanced integrated service systems.
Consequently, upon graduation, students should be equipped with the tools necessary for collaboration with different professions. Students in public health programs need to identify their strengths and improve their weaknesses. More IPE training will also provide communities with professionals who can provide the best possible care and/or service. We propose making this internship a semester-long course available to all students.